A Dusted Heart
by Lord Jaric
Summary: Ruby has returned to Beacon for her second year. Her life takes a spin when she meets a young boy in a dual lifesaving event. Who is this boy? What's with the medicine he keeps taking? And what secrets is he hiding? It appears her second year will be just as adventures as the first.
1. Another Year

**A/N:** I know that I'm probably shooting myself in the foot for starting another story while have others going, but I wanted to get the footing of this story down before season three starts just in case it messes with any of my plans for this. That being said enjoy.

 **Edit 10/13/15:** I may of rushed through this chapter in my attempt to get it out before season three, there was a small detail that I wanted that I forgot to add, its there now. So if it seems like it went to quickly, I can say that I'll be slowing things down.

 **I don't own the cover image for this story**

* * *

 **Another Year**

The young boy surveyed the scene around him as he took in deep breaths. All round him were injured, unconscious men lying on the ground. He had been fighting for what had felt like hours even though he knew it had only been minutes. His hands were gripping the handles of his weapon tightly. The handles were surrounded by a metal circles, extending out away from him were dual blades on both weapons. Both weapons were attached to his wrist, which had ammo clips that fed dust rounds into his gun. He was finally able to get his breathing under control and get his thoughts reorganized. The sound of slow clapping however got his attention and he glared at the woman with dark hair with white strands that stood above him on a platform.

"Most impressive." She said once she stopped her mockery and stared down at him with a cold smile and even colder green eyes. "You've improved greatly since I last saw you. I must say I'm actually rather proud."

He chose not to respond to the woman's jab but only to continue to glare at her. He hated the woman so much. For everything she had done to him. And for what she had planned for him. He could never forgive her. He wanted to end her. The young boy would never deny that he was being motivated my revenge, but there was also a sense of self-preservation behind those motives.

"Still mad at me?" She asked with the smile still on her face. "Can't say I really blame you. Who wouldn't be angry?"

The boy's hands gripped his weapon even tighter. His rage elevating at the woman's simple dismissal of what she had done. As if it had just been a misunderstanding. Unable to contain his anger any longer he raised one of his swords and pressed a small trigger in the handle. A quick flash came from between the dual bladed weapon and he saw the dust round just barely miss the dark haired woman.

"Still have that temper of yours I see." She said offhandedly. He only grew angrier at how unfazed she had been. "Well I think I've spent enough time dilly-dallying. Until next time, Tristan."

"No!" He cried out in protest as the woman left, firing another dust round at her but missing. He put his blades into their holders before quickly ran towards the ground floor door only to be met by another one of the woman's henchmen on the other side.

"End of the line, kid!" The man took a swing at him. In that moment everything slowed down for Tristan. The man's fist came slowly towards him allowing the young boy to process where the direction of the punch and where it would hit. He watched as his own hand slowly made its way to intercept the attack. On contact everything sped back to normal.

Tristan deflected the man's hand away from him before grabbing hold of his attacker's arm. Using the man's continuing momentum the young boy pulled hard enough to cause the larger man to tumble forward. Tristan then grabbed the back of the man's head before smashing it into the wall causing his opponent to be rendered unconscious. The kid quickly tore his way down the hallway only to be met with another henchman. And then another in another hallway. And again in another hallway.

The process just seemed to continue to Tristan's great annoyance. But eventually he was coming across fewer and fewer opponents with each hallway he ran down. He knew he was catching up to _her._ The boy was familiar enough with the compound to know where _she_ was going and he had to hurry. Tristan got to a flight of stairs and made his way up as fast as he could. As he was approaching the top there was a sudden stabbing sensation in his chest.

 _No!_ He thought as his hand shot up to the left side of his chest. His body slumped up against the wall before sliding down to his knees. _Not now!_

The sensation was quickly growing into considerable pain that he started to gasp for air. His agony was spreading from his chest to the rest of his body. His hand shakenly reached for a pouch strapped to his leg. From it Tristan pulled one of many metallic cylinders he had, keeping his thumb on a small button on top. He shakenly raised the cylinder up before jabbing it into his neck and pressing the button. He heard the small air compression as the contents into his bloodstream.

After a minute the first effects of the drug began to take effect. The pain that had been spread throughout his body began to subside making it easier for him to breath. The young boy tossed the cylinder away in disgust and took a moment to relax and regather himself before the drug began to take its next effect. A sudden burst of energy caused Tristan to jump from where he stood and rush up the finally flight of stairs before bursting through the door into the cool night air.

"Isolde!" Tristan yelled over a roaring bullhead. To his dread the woman was already taking a step onto the ship before she turned around and looked at him with her smile. Isolde gave him a two finger salute before taking the remaining step onto the bullhead. Not wanting her to get away Tristan quickly pulled out his weapons pointing them at the dark haired woman and pulled and held the triggers unleashing a hail of bullets at her. However a figure jumped out of the ship in front of Isolde and the dust rounds seemed to hit an invisible wall. Standing between Tristan and the woman he hated was the man that he hated nearly just as much.

 _Delwyn._ Tristan stared down the brown haired man that stood in his way. The man had a confident smirk on his face, but his brown eyes told the young boy that the older man saw him as an annoyance. Tristan pulled the trigger of his weapons again only to get the sound of a dry clip. As if hearing the click of the boy's guns over the roar of the engine, Delwyn jumped back on board of the bullhead before it flew away. Tristan gave out a cry of anger as his enemy once again escaped his grasp.

* * *

Ruby watched as her small island home of Patch grew smaller and smaller as the airship she was on flew further away from it. Sometimes there were days the young girl found it hard to believe that she got to where she was now. Days like today especially as she and her sister, as well as other hunters and huntress-to-be that resided in Patch made their way back to Beacon for another school year. One year ago the hooded girl had just been getting ready for another semester at Signal before her run in with one Roman Torchwick and his henchmen in a dust shop. And with that run in, Ruby had been pushed forward two years by the Headmaster of Beacon himself.

It had been a dream come true the young girl. And sometimes it felt like a dream. Her first year at the prestige school had been one great adventure. From dealing with terrorist to foiling an elaborate plot, something her father had some chose words for her and Yang; her team had become one of the best known of Beacon. And now she wondered what this new year would bring. Her thoughts her disrupted by a subtle flick to the back of her head.

"Hey," Yang said as she walked up next to her, "getting homesick already."

"The summer seemed so short." Ruby whined.

"Didn't seem that way to me." Yang said with a playful smile. "After all that running around last year the summer break seemed long and boring to me. Let's hope for another conspiracy."

"You would hope for something like that wouldn't you?" The younger sister said as she rolled her eyes.

"I'm a thrill seeker, sis." The blonde said while ruffling the dual colored haired girl's hair. Ruby couldn't help but notice the subtle change in her older sister's voice with what she said next. "One way or another I'll always find trouble."

"What do you think the others have been up to?" Ruby asked, changing the subject.

"Well Ozpin let Blake stay on campus, so she has probably been holed up in our room reading books." Yang mockingly held up her index finger while taping it with her other finger, as if she needed to count there friends out. "Weiss has probably getting head deep in family matters. And who knows what Jaune and his marry band have been up to. Especially Nora."

"Well I can't wait to see them again." Ruby said with a smile.

"Me too, sis."

" _Attention passengers,"_ a voice came over the ships intercom, _"we will be arriving in Vale shortly. Please return to your seats._ _"_

* * *

Yang was somewhat annoyed by the mild inconvenience as she and Ruby walked off the small public airship only to have to walk to a larger airship that would be ferrying students to Beacon. She knew it would be unfair to the other passengers. But it felt like it would have been so much easier on the students if they just had a direct flight.

"So you think you'll blow up again?" The blonde asked her younger sister lightening the mood a bit.

"That happened one time?" Ruby complained.

"And you got yourself a friend." Yang said before she gave the young girl a smirk. "A very annoying friend, but a friend nether the less."

"She is your friend to you know." The hooded girl tried to glare at her only adding to the blonde's amusement.

"That's debatable." Yang tried to hold back a laugh but snicker escaped her lips.

"Yang!" Ruby tried to scold the blonde, but it was evident to the older sister that the younger one was trying to hold back her own laugh.

"Hey, blondie!" Someone yelled. Yang turned to the sound of the voice to see a very familiar large man flacked by two black suited men. The older sister quickly pulled Ruby behind her hiding her from view.

"Junior!" The blonde said with fake enthusiasm. "How's the club business doing?"

"The club is fine." He said while maintain a stern stare. His eyes drifted behind her for a moment before returning to her. Yang tightened her grip on her sister. "It's my other business that is having trouble."

"Can't imagine why a business like that would have its down side." She couldn't help but jab, earning her a glare from the club owner.

"Some of my men have been having some trouble in the last mouth." He said still glaring her. "The only bit of information I have been able to get from them is some blonde has been beating the crap out of them. You wouldn't anything about that would you?"

"No actually," Yang said generally confused, "I wouldn't. I've been away from Vale for the summer."

"Is that so?" Junior said. He continued to give her a stern stare before finally letting up. "I'm warning you now blondie, stay out of my affairs. I tired of you kids messing up my business." And that he left with his men.

"Yang?" Ruby spoke up from behind her. "What was that about?"

"I don't know, sis." The blonde said as she watched the club owner walk away. "I really don't know."

* * *

 **A/N:** I hope you enjoyed this first chapter. Be warned I might not get back to this until I finish _Black Rose Admire._ As always feedback is appreciated.


	2. Watery Meeting

**A/N:** Less than a week until the third season starts, yay.

I know I said that I would probably not get back to this for a while because of Black Rose Admire. But my imagination brainstormed this chapter. Maybe because I have an actual outline for this story that ideas are coming more easily for me.

I'm quite happy with this chapter compared to the last, with the exception of one scene. I feel like I got the hook to pull people in that felt absent in the last chapter.

Based on the season three's opening I made a small assumption about Winter's character.

* * *

 **Watery Meeting**

"Ruby, let me go." The white haired girl complained as her young leader hugged her tightly.

"Sorry, Weiss." Ruby said sheepishly as she rubbed the back of her head. She turned to look at Blake who had also suffered from the over enthusiastic girl's embrace. "It's just been so long since I've seen you guys."

"It's been three months." Weiss pointed out as a matter a fact. All around them fellow students had returned to Beacon for another year of training. Teammates were reunified. Friends were reunited. And rivals reignited. Although she would never admit it openly, the heiress did miss her friends in the short time they had been separated.

The team that she became a part of gave the young heiress something she wasn't accustomed to. Variety. Weiss's teammates various personalities were a stark contrast to her family's lifestyle. From her father's rigid routine to her sister's stoic behavior, the white haired girl's life and been very rigorous until she came to Beacon. And she had her friends to thank for that.

"So, what have you two been up to?" Yang asked, clearly wanting to move a conversation along.

"Not much." Blake said offhandedly. "Took up a job at a café in Vale. Had a… occasional visitor."

"That occasional visitor wouldn't happen to be a blonde haired boy with a tail would it." The brawler said with an evil grin. To which Blake glared at her partner. Weiss couldn't help but give a little laugh.

"What about you, Weiss?" Ruby asked.

"I've been spending time at my family's company." She said. The white haired girl couldn't help but smile a bit at what she said next. "I did take some trips to Mistral."

"Were you going to see Neptune?" Ruby squealed making Weiss jump in surprise. "Were you doing all of this in secret against her father's wishes. It sounds like a romantic tale."

The pale skinned girl was fully aware of how red her face was turning. And a small bit of sweat over how accurate the young girl's statement was.

"Ruby." Weiss gritted through her teeth trying to regain her composure. Lucky for her Yang seemed to have read between the lines.

"Okay Ruby, leave it be." The blonde said.

"What?" The young girl said oblivious to the egg shells she was stepping on.

"What have you two been up to?" Blake said clearly taking the initiative to change the subject.

"We went on camping trips around Patch with our dad and uncle." Yang said. "It was pretty fun. The great outdoors, campfire stories, s'mores and sleeping under the night sky. It was great."

"So," Blake said as they ran out of things to talk about, "what should we do?"

"How about we help the new students?" Ruby suggested as she looked around. Weiss took the moment to take in the people around them and indeed there were many new faces standing by themselves amongst the crowed, the looks on their faces' showed that they were confused on what to do.

"That's a great idea, sis." The blonde said while rubbing the young girl head. "Let's do that."

* * *

Another large airship passed over head flying towards Beacon Academy. It was the seventh ship he counted as he waited for his targets to show up. Tristan laid on his back on the flat roof of some businesses that he didn't care to check overlooking a back area surrounded by buildings. He had been relaxing in that spot since sunrise waiting for a meeting to take place. If his information was correct someone would be there that could lead him to Isolde.

The young boy's mind drifted back to the passing airship that was heading to the school for hunters and huntresses. He couldn't help but wonder if his life had been more fortunate would he have attended such a school. Would he have developed his skills more effectively, made friends and fight the monsters that threatened humanity? Tristan let out a sigh at is wandering thoughts. He would never know the answer; he had gained his own training and had his own monster to deal with.

The sound of activity below got his attention back to the reason he was there. While avoiding making any sound he peaked over the roof's edge to see a small group of men in black suites and red ties. Tristan could tell they were anxious. Some of their heads were shift ever so slight back and forth as if they were expecting the meeting was going to go bad. The lead man, a very large man, was tapping his foot on the pavement as he glared down the alleyway. Eventually a few men came walking into the back area. One in a business suit, the others in armor. Clearly the businessman thought there was going to be trouble.

"I wasn't expecting you to bring so many men with you." The businessman said. "Nor was I expecting to meet in a back alley. I was expecting to meet at your club."

"Ever since you came to me my men have been having problems." The large man said in clear annoyance. "The money better damn well be worth it."

"I assure you that my client will pay you quite handsomely if the information you give leads us to our target."

Tristan tightened his grip on one of his weapons. He was certain now that this _businessman_ held the information he wanted. But the young boy kept himself from attacking until he knew for sure, he had jumped the gun to many times already and it had gotten him nowhere.

"You didn't give me much to go on. All I can say for certain is that your target is in the city." There was a moment of silence passing between the two groups before it was broken.

"We were told that you were a reliable information broker." The man turned and began to leave. "I see now that was a mistake."

He had to act now. Tristan jumped over the buildings edge. As he fell he pulled out both of his blades. He knocked one of the black suited men down before he touched the ground. There was a moment of stunned silence before someone started to yell and black guns and red swords were pulled out. The young boy quickly kicked the closest man next to him before deflecting a blade that came for his side.

Form there all out hell broke loose as Tristan unleashed some of his pent-up fury. Every blade that came at him he was able to block with relative ease as most of the men didn't seemed to be well train to use. Some of them swung too widely. Others too wildly. Although a couple of them did seem to know what they were doing.

There attacks were more precise. Going for his openings to which the young boy had to pull back from and go on the defensive. Luckily for Tristan he was just a bit better trained. His defensive tactics made openings in his opponents' stances to which he was quick to take advantage of with quick jabs and kicks. Theses tactics were mute against the guys with the guns.

Those guys knew what they were doing compared to their companions. When he saw the first gun went off the dust round came at him slowly and the young boy was able to move his body just in time for it to grace his shoulder. Tristan quickly jumped behind a dumpster as a hail of bullets began to rain towards him. He took the moment to get his breathing under control and get his racing heart to slow down. His new position gave him a view of the alley that the businessman had come from. Just in time to see his target disappear around the corner.

 _Damnit._ Tristan screamed in his head. His anger was now starting to rise again. When he heard the sound of dry clips the young boy threw caution to the wind and jumped out from his cover charging head long into the group of men. He didn't let up as he slashed and kicked relentlessly by the time it was over the red suites were lying on the ground in pain. Tristan walked towards one of them and lifted them up.

"Who was that?" He demanded. Although Tristan was certain he knew who the person was working for he had to make sure. "What are they looking for?"

Before the man could answer him the young boy felt a heavy blow to the back of his head and he fell hard onto the ground. His head was in a daze as he looked up at his attacker. The large man that seemed to be in charge of the red suits. Tristan berated himself for forgetting about him in the chaos of the fight. The man kicked him in the side and the young boy grunted in pain.

"Stupid kid." The man said though his teeth. Tristan was vaguely aware of the red suites getting back up. Some more slowly than others.

"What do you want to do with him, boss." One of his cronies asked. The boss looked down on the young boy.

"I'm sick of these kids messing with me." He said while still glaring down at Tristan. "Get rid of him. Painfully."

* * *

After they had helped out the new students before they were called away for Ozpin's speech Team RWBY decided to head down to Vale to catch up some more as they checked out the town after being away. Weiss had come up with the _brilliant_ idea of getting school supplies. None of them could come up with an excuse to avoid it because they all needed to. Ruby was glad to get that out of the way and continue on with the day for some real fun.

After a while the team stopped at the café Blake had said she had been working at to get something to eat. After which Ruby excused herself to use the bathroom, she had to go around the corner to get to the entrance of the café, as they had decided to eat outside. When she came back out she noticed something happening in an alleyway across the street. The young leader couldn't help but feel something was wrong. She knew she should get the others but in the short time it would take the hooded girl to get her teammates and explain to them what was going on whatever was going on could be over with.

So Ruby decided to run across the street and into the alley. Once the young girl reached the area there was no one around. She quickly looked around and just barely caught movement around a corner and she quickly gave chase, but also made sure to be quiet, not wanting to charge head first into a situation. Ruby quickly figured out she was following a few men in very familiar black suites and red ties. And they were carrying something. The young girl couldn't get a good look at it because it was covered.

Ruby continued to quietly follow the men as they continued to move through back alleys. She was able to tell that they knew what they were doing. They rarely ventured out of the alleyways and when they did they made sure the area was deserted. Whatever they had with them they wanted to make sure no one caught them with it. The girl was looking forward to ruining their day, because no one acted like this doing an honest deed.

The young girl lost them when she got to the docks. The first thought that crossed Ruby's mind was to wonder how long she had been following them to get this far. The second was to find out where the black suits had gone. That question got answered when she heard some commotion behind some containers not too far from where she stood. She quickly got up to containers and looked around them to find the black suites but what really got her attention was what they had been carrying. It was moving.

Finally one of the men pulled the cover away and Ruby was shocked to see a young boy. From where the hooded girl stood she could see that he was light skinned and had dark blonde hair. He look perhaps her age if not a little older. One of the men pushed the boy with his foot breaking the young girl from her shock. She was about to jump out before one of them started talking to the blonde.

"Don't know what your deal is kid." He said with little feeling. "Was this some kind of vigilantly idealism?"

The boy said nothing in response.

"Whatever." Another said. "End of the line kid."

That was when Ruby noticed it. The man had his foot resting on a cinderblock. A cinderblock that had a chain wrapped around it. That chain was wrapped around the boy's legs.

"Hey!" Ruby yelled as she jumped out from behind the container, just in time to see the boy disappear over the dock.

* * *

 _Maybe I had bitten off more than I could chew._ Tristan thought as he sunk deeper into the water. It was going pretty slow for him, giving him time to try and think of a way to get free. His hands were bound tightly and his legs wouldn't budge an inch in the chains that were dragging him to his death. _Perhaps this is for the best._

Tristan couldn't help but smile a bit. How this would throw a wrench into Isolde's plans. As he sunk deeper he could swear that he was hearing something happening above him. He remembered hearing someone yelling as he hit the water. Whatever was happening was being muffled by the water that was now suffocating him. And then he heard the sound of a loud splash.

The blonde boy looked up to try and see what it was that had just entered the water; but his vision was being blurred by the water. All he could see was that it was a person who was wearing a lot of red and black. Once they reached him the first thing they did was free his hands. Tristan found a great sense of relief flooding over thanks to this person risking their own life for him. Even with his blurred vision he could tell that his savior was a woman. She began pulling at the chains that were binding his legs and he joined her in the attempt to break him free.

The relief that he had gained was now replaced with dread. The chains were too sturdy. Neither he nor the woman would be able to break them. She seemed to realize this had pushed herself way. At first Tristan thought she was leaving him for dead. But then she pulled something out from her back. That something extended itself out. Just for a split second, in his dreaded filled mind, he thought that the grim reaper had come for him. Because even though his vision was blurred, he could tell the woman was wielding a large scythe. Thankfully his reasoning quickly came back to him as she swung at the chains and cut him free.

Just as he was about to rush his way to the surface he noticed that woman wasn't going for the surface herself. In fact Tristan saw that she wasn't moving at all. In realization he quickly grabbed her and for reasons he couldn't explain, her weapon as well. The blonde broke the water's surface taking in a deep breath of air. He heard movement above him. Looking up he saw that the dock was right over him.

"You see anything!" A man's voice yelled.

"No!" Another said. "Think they're dead?"

"As long as the boy is that is all that matters."

The running footsteps across the dock told Tristan that the suites had left. The blonde swam to the sandy edge pulling the woman that had saved him with him. Once he made it to solid ground he took a moment to get his bearings before returning his attention to the woman. To his surprise it wasn't a woman per se, but a young, maybe his age if not younger, pale skinned girl with black hair with scarlet tips. But then the young boy noticed something more alarming.

She wasn't moving. Not an inch. He hurriedly got close to the girl and put his fingers against her neck and the side of his head up to her face. He felt a pulse, but he couldn't feel any air escaping her lips. He acted quickly. He began performing compressions as hard as he could. The boy heard a cracking sound coming from where he was pushing but he kept at it before he bent down and breathed air into her lungs. As he returned to performing compressions a stabbing sensation hit his chest.

 _No! No! No!_ Tristan started to scream in his mind. _Not now! Not Now!_

Part of his mind was telling him to reach for one of the cylinders in his pouch but the other part told him he couldn't stop what doing or the girl would die. The debate didn't last long as he chose the latter and ignored the pain that was beginning to spread through his body. The blonde continued to do compressions and breathe oxygen into the girl's lungs for a few minutes; all the while biting through the pain. Finally the young girl began coughing up water, as well as the contents of her stomach. Tristan was quick to move the girl's body to its side while ignoring the screams of his own; allowing him to clear the girl's airway more easily with his fingers. She hadn't regain consciousness but she was breathing and that was all that mattered to him.

Tristan could no long ignore the pain that had spread throughout his body. He shakily reached for the pouch on his leg and pulled out one of the cylinders. But just as he raised it to his neck his whole body cramped up. He couldn't move. The cylinder slipped out of his hand and fell to the ground. His vision dimmed as he collapsed. The last thing the blonde saw before he blacked out was the girl beside him.

* * *

 **A/N:** I hope this chapter came off better than the last and that you enjoyed it. Hopefully I did Ruby's near drowning accurately. As always feedback is appreciated.


	3. Worries and Deals

**A/N:** The first episode of season three is out and it was a great start.

I attended to get this chapter out sooner but after writing the first scene I took a break until the next day only to find that I had lost most of it after my laptop had shut down (it's a crappy laptop). So I was kind of a little miffed about it. Took a day away before returning to it, I think I got most of it back word for word, probably lost some of it but added some to it.

But here it is. Hope you enjoy.

* * *

 **Worries and Deals**

Blake was trying to keep her blonde haired partner calm but was failing miserably. Yang was practically pulling her hair out over her sister's disappearance. It didn't help that the Faunus was worried about their leader as well. So was Weiss. When Ruby didn't return they naturally got concerned and went looking for her. That concern only grew as they couldn't find the hooded girl in the area.

"Yang, you need to calm down." Weiss tried to reason with the bawler. "I'm sure there is a perfectly good explanation for Ruby to run off."

"And what explanation would that be!" Yang yelled causing the white haired girl to jump behind Blake for protection. As well causing passersby to veer away from the group. "What explanation is there for my sister to just go off by herself and not tell us?"

When Weiss didn't give the blonde a response, Yang walked off in search of Ruby. Honestly Blake couldn't blame her partner's concern. This wouldn't be the first time their young leader ran off half-cocked. She had nearly gotten herself killed when she tailed the White Fang when they were on their search mission last year. Of course there was another possibility.

Just how many people did they upset after everything that had happened last year? How many people had something to gain from the plot but lost so much? Someone that hadn't caught and put away. People who had an axe to grind. And Ruby would be among the first on the chopping block.

Blake shook her head to get the ludicrous thoughts out of her mind. Who would be stupid enough to try and kidnap a huntress, even a huntress-in-training in broad daylight? Even if someone were to even try, Ruby would be gone before anyone could grab her. As Yang walked away the Faunus girl ran up to her to make another attempt to calm the blonde down.

"Yang," Blake said as she grabbed her partner's shoulder stopping Yang in her tracks, "Ruby is a resourceful girl. Even if she were in some kind of trouble she is fully capable of getting herself out of it."

The Faunus felt relieved to feel the bawler finally relax. As if the universe was just waiting for the moment each of their scrolls went off. When Blake looked at the alert all her pervious fears didn't seem so ridicules now. There, staring back at her was Ruby's image, her aura in the red. Before she could get a word out Yang tore away from her grip and stormed down the street.

"Yang, wait!" Weiss called out chasing after her. "We don't even know where she is. We have to think this through."

Blake knew it was pointless at this point. Yang wasn't going to be listening to anyone until she found her sister. Weiss was still trying to reason with the bawler when the Faunus finally caught up to them. The Faunus grabbed hold of her white haired teammate stopping her and possibly saving her from the blonde's wrath.

"It might be best if we just go along with her." Blake whispered. "It's not like we have anything else to go on."

With some reluctance the heiress agreed and they caught up to Yang to assist in her crusade to find their friend. It had felt like hours since they had started their search. Ruby had been nowhere in the area they had stopped to eat. When they expanded their search they still couldn't find her. They had stopped at stores like _From Dust Till Dawn_. They had even stopped random people asking if they had seen their hooded friend but no one had. Yang looked like she was ready to snap someone in half by that point. Some unfortunate soul was saved when the blonde's scroll went off.

"Ruby?" Yang asked but the look that came to the girl's violet eyes told Blake no. "Ozpin?"

There was a moment of silence and the bawlers face change from worry to hopeful.

"You- You found her?" Yang's voice seemed to be shaky. "Is she alright?"

There was another pause while the blonde listen to the Headmaster on the other line. Blake turned to Weiss to see a look of hope and concern on the heiress' face.

"Ye- Yes of course." The blonde said. "I- I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Well?" Weiss asked slowly. "What- What happened?"

"I don't know." Yang looked at them. "Ozpin said he would explain everything when I get there."

* * *

Ozpin listened diligently to the doctor as he explained Ruby's condition to him just outside of her room. When the alert had come in of her dangerously low aura he had immediately sent a team to her location through her scroll's GPS. There was no reason for any of his students to be in such a state on the day of arrival. The Headmaster was relieved when they brought the young girl back, unconscious but alive. But he was confused by the young boy that they had brought back with them as well. All that the team had told him was that they found him lying unconscious by Ruby.

When both patients had been settled in their rooms Ozpin had been sure to call Yang to inform her of what happened. And judging by the shakiness of her voice the blonde had already known that something had indeed happened to her younger sister. Now the Headmaster was waiting for what was undoubtable a firestorm heading his way. Once the doctor finished the report on Ruby that he would give to the bawler Ozpin moved on to the next patient.

"What about the boy?" He asked. The doctor ran his finger across his scroll; the Headmaster saw Ruby's report move way for a new one.

"Like with Ms. Rose we did a full body exam. We have been unable to identify who he is. He is not a student here at Beacon." The doctor said. Ozpin nodded in understanding. He was familiar with every student who walked the halls of Beacon, even the new arrivals. And the boy wasn't one of them. "Nor does he seem to be a citizen of Vale. We are currently trying to determine if he is a citizen of one of the another kingdoms but we won't find out until tomorrow."

"As for his condition," the doctor continued, "he has various cuts and bruises all over his body, a special note to a surgical scar over the left side of his chest, none of which explain why he is unconscious. Judging by the bruise patterns around his wrist and legs he had been bound."

That explained somethings to Ozpin. The team had said they had found Ruby and the boy at the docks. Could Ruby have come across something she wasn't supposed to and got herself involved? Knowing her she more than likely did. The hooded girl couldn't let anything go if she thought there was trouble.

"Furthermore we found various puncture marks on the right side of his neck." The doctor went on. He then pulled out a plastic bag containing a metallic cylinder. "He had many of these on him. We are certain that he has been injecting the contents of this into his bloodstream. However we do not know what it is. We are currently running test to determine what it is but it will take a while."

Ozpin took the bag from the doctor and examined the object within it. It was a simpler design. The cylinder shape was standard for a syringe. The metallic cylinder held a plastic one within it that he could see through a small opening showing the drug within it. The cap of the main cylinder held a small air compression with a small button on top of it.

"Mind if I keep this one for my own test?" Ozpin asked.

"Not at all, Professor." The doctor said offhandedly. "We have plenty to work with."

As if waiting for the conversation to wrap up, a loud, expected, commotion came from around the corner of the hallway he and the doctor stood in. There were yells of protest, yells of surprise and yells for someone to slow down. Then Yang came running around the corner closely followed by Blake and Weiss, both of which were out of breath. The blonde came charging up to him and started demanding answers.

"Calm yourself, Ms. Xiao Long." Ozpin said resting his hand on the girl's shoulder. The tension he felt coming from her told him she was anything but calm. "Doctor, if you would?"

"She has broken and cracked ribs. Judging by her pale complexion. Her shallow breathing. And her damp clothing. She nearly drowned." The doctor quickly summarized to the bawler.

"What do you mean she nearly drowned?" Yang yelled. "She is an excellent swimmer she could never drown."

"Perhaps her incident had something to do with the boy." Ozpin said.

"What boy?" The bawler asked with a hint of suspicion. Before he could answer the door to Ruby's room opened and a nurse came out.

"Sir, she is waking up." She said. Yang through the door knocking the nurse to the side before anyone could say anything. The rest of them followed behind her with a little more grace.

"Sorry about that." Blake apologized to the poor nurse.

"Ruby," Yang was already at her sister's side, "can you hear me."

The young girl's eyes opened and slowly looked around the room. She seemed to be confused to where she was. Ruby winced in pain when she tried to take in a breath of air. She tried to sit up but the doctor put a stop to that.

"Ms. Rose, please stay down." The doctor said with concern. "You need to rest so your injuries can heal."

"Wher- Where am I?" She asked clearly still in some pain.

"You're in the infirmary in Beacon." Yang appeared to want to take over the conversation. "Ruby, can you tell me what happened?"

"I-." The young girl winced in pain once again.

"Perhaps this can wait until tomorrow." The doctor insisted.

"N- No, I can talk." Ruby said through her pain. Ozpin couldn't help but admire the young leader's resilience. "I saw some people acting strangely in an ally. Men in black suits and red ties."

Ozpin noticed Yang flinch at the mention of the men and decided to make note of asking her about it later before returning his attention to Ruby.

"I thought I would lose track of them if I didn't follow them." She continued. At the corner of his vision he saw Weiss roll her eyes. "As I followed them I noticed they were carrying something. I lost them for a moment when I got to the docks. When I found them again I found out what they had been carrying."

The young girl paused for a moment to take in a shallow breath of air.

"It was a boy." Ruby continued. "Maybe my age. They had him tied up and- and they pushed him into the water. I fought the men briefly before I jumped into the water to get to the boy. I… I don't remember anything after that."

"That's alright, Ruby." Ozpin said softly. "Why don't you rest and we'll continue this conversation tomorrow."

He motioned for everyone to leave, but Yang seemed to hesitate.

"Ms. Xiao Long?" The doctor said. Yang turned and gave the Headmaster a pleading look.

"She is family, Doctor." Ozpin stated giving the blonde a smile. "I'm sure she can be an exception."

He saw that Weiss and Blake also seemed to be hesitant to move as well. But he wasn't going to press his luck. Even as Headmaster his sway with the medical staff only went so far.

"Ms. Schnee, Belladonna," he motioned towards the door, "if you would please."

With some reluctance the two left room and he soon followed after the doctor. Before leaving Ozpin looked down the hallway to a door that held the boy that Ruby had attempt to safe behind it. He let out a sigh of relieve that the boy was not a threat, for now.

* * *

The black and white haired woman waited patiently as the man before her looked over the merchandise she had provided. He checked every aspect of it from its surface to its weight. He put the butt of the item against his shoulder and let his eyes travel down the sights. All the while she made sure that none of his men made a move she didn't like as her eyes swept over the dirty warehouse.

Isolde didn't mind the conditions really. She had been in far worse. It was made all the more easier with the man's henchmen being quite relaxed. Although they were armed they were clearly expecting the deal to go through as their weapons hung at their sides. Which allowed her own men to relax. Most of her deals went well but she had to deal with the occasional moron who thought they could out smart her. A loud click that echoed across the warehouse disrupted her thoughts.

"Well," He said as he put the gun back into the crate it had come from, "I now see why you are so highly recommended, Ms. Fhómhair."

"What can I say?" She said with some enthusiasm. "I aim to please my clients. Now shall we get on with business?"

"Of course." He said. He snapped his fingers and one of his men brought him a large suitcase. He set it up onto the table and opened showing a computer. In the next five minutes he went through all the necessary requirements to make the transfer. She had seen it done many times. "And there we go."

Isolde's scroll went off and she pulled it out. As expected the funds had gone through. She pulled out a piece of paper and began writing twelve individual codes onto it before giving it to her client.

"May I present to you the finest weaponry on the market." She said as she swept her hands over the dozen crates behind her. The black and white haired woman smiled and couldn't help but add. "Courtesy of the Atlas military."

"Be sure to send my gratitude." The man said with a smile. He shook her gloved hand before starting to order his men to retrieve his merchandise. Isolde took that as her que to leave. As soon as she exited the warehouse a figure jumped down from the roof but the dual-colored haired woman continued to walk away from the building. The figure was quick to catch up with her and match her pace.

"Well?" She asked.

"He's here." The man said.

"Could you be more specific?" She said with a little mirth. Isolde liked to mess him sometimes.

"Tristan," Delwyn said with a shake of his head and a small smile, "he is here in Vale."

"Persistent isn't he." Isolde and Delwyn continued to walk until they came to a street corner, just as a limo came up. The brown haired man opened the door allowing her to step in before him. Once seated across from her he handed her a large scroll pad.

"How has the current operation gone?" The woman asked as she looked through her various investments.

"It has gone well." He stated. "We intercepted the convoy and obtained the weapons aboard."

"What of the soldiers?"

"They were taken care of."

"And the officer?"

"We were able to get a hold of him last night?"

"Take me to him." Isolde ordered. Delwyn gave the direction to the driver. For a time they continued the drive in silence. But she knew the man across from her too well. Without looking up from her scroll she asked what was bothering him.

"Why didn't we take care of Tristan when we had the chance? You know he doesn't stand a chance." He asked with a little annoyance in his voice. "Wouldn't it make things easier for us in the long run?"

"It is not yet time. It might make things easier. But I'm not without a heart." She said. "Let him have his fun."

Shortly after that they arrived at their destination. Delwyn got out first keeping the door open for the dual-colored haired woman. They entered the abandoned looking building where a couple of her men her sitting around. As well as a man in a business suit tied down in a chair. The man looked up with a bruised face and glared at her.

"Well, judging by that look I might as well get straight to the point." She said casually. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way. Give me the weapon crate codes."

She already knew the man's answer by the look in his eyes. Everything about the man said he was once a soldier.

"Go to hell." He spat.

"Very well then." She said as she pulled one of her gloves off and reached out to the man's head. "We'll do it the hard way."

* * *

 **A/N:** I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Feedback is appreciated so I know what's working and what's not.


	4. Nightmare Meeting

**A/N:** Hey everyone. I know it's been a while but I kind of got carried away with a couple of games. Taking a break from them so I can continue this story. Hope you enjoy this new chapter.

* * *

 **Nightmare Meeting**

Ruby sat patiently as the doctor did some last minute checkups on her. It had only been a day since the young girl had been admitted to the school's infirmary, but she was already antsy and couldn't wait to get out of her hospital gown. She was already missing out on the first day of classes. Meaning the young leader would have to spend the day getting notes from her teammates. The hooded girl had to fight one teammate, in particular her sister, into going to class.

Yang had been very reluctant to leave her alone but Ruby had insisted that she was fine. It required some subtle words from Blake and not to subtle from Weiss to finally convince her sister to go to class. The young girl was grateful for Yang's caring nature but it could sometimes be suffocating. The hooded girl was already dreading the talk they had left off on about her reckless behavior.

"Well you have healed nicely and I would say that you are clear to leave," the doctor said. Ruby was about to jump up in glee. "However, you are not completely healed. I would recommend that you rest for the rest of the day and possibly the next in your room."

Ruby couldn't help but pout at the limitations given to her by the doctor. The doctor left the room giving her privacy to change but before she could leave there was a knock at the door. When she answered in walked the headmaster.

"Professor Ozpin," she greeted the man with a smile, "good day."

"Good day, Ruby." He smiled back. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm a little sore." Ruby couldn't say the doctor was wrong in his assessment that she wasn't fully healed. "But I feel a lot better."

"Where would we be without our aura?" Ozpin commented with a little mirth.

"Stuck in hospital beds." Ruby answered with a laugh.

"That would be a shame now wouldn't it?" The professor stated. "Now Ruby, are you up to some more questions?"

"Of course, professor." She said. "Ask away."

Most of the questions Ozpin asked her were just going into further details about what she had already talked about the previous day; allowing her rested mind to recall the events more clearly.

"Is there anything about these black suited men you can tell me about?" The headmaster asked.

"Um, other than that they wore black suites with red ties." Ruby laughed awkwardly as she rubbed the back of her head. A look from Ozpin told her to think hard of what she could tell about them. Then it hit the hooded girl why they looked so familiar to her. "Wait. Last year, I remember when I ran into Torchwick he had men with him dress like that and…"

"And?" Ozpin asked motioning her to continue.

"And just yesterday when Yang and I arrived in Vale we were approached by a large man and a couple of black suited guys. The man seemed interested in asking Yang what she had been up to because some blonde was messing in his business." It then hit Ruby that blonde may be the boy from yesterday.

"Was this the man that approached you?" The professor asked as he pulled out his scroll and after a few buttons turned it to her showing a picture. Ruby looked at the photo to see a large black haired bearded man.

"Yes. This is the guy." Ruby saw Ozpin give off a sigh that sounded disappointed. "Is something wrong, professor?"

"It's nothing, Ruby." Ozpin said calmly. "Is there anything else that you can tell me?"

"Not that I can think of." She watched as the headmaster pulled out a plastic bag containing a metallic cylinder and held it up for her to see.

"Does this look familiar to you?" Ozpin asked. Ruby took the item from his hands and studied it for a moment.

"No." Ruby said as she handed it back to the white haired man. "What is it?"

"It is a gas powered syringe. It was found between you and the boy."

"Wait." The young girl interrupted the professor before he could continue. Ruby berated herself for forgetting about what had happened to him. "The boy, is he…?"

"He is alive thanks to you, Ruby." Ozpin smiled. Which put the young girl at ease. "However, he has been comatose since the search group found the two of you at the docks and he hasn't woken up since."

"Do you know what happened, sir?" She asked due to lapse in memory of what occurred when she tried to save the blonde.

"We are assuming that after your attempt to save him you nearly drowned and he saved you. However," Ozpin went on bring her attention back to the bag holding the syringe, "we are unsure what he was planning with this. There is evidence that he was going to use it on himself but we are unsure."

"What's in it?"

"It's a cocktail drug." He stated to which Ruby gave him a confused look. "It's a mixture of different drugs. Some people with certain health issues take a verity of them. Tests on this particular cocktail have shown that this mixture is very dangerous for anyone to take."

"Why would he have something like that?"

"I do not know." Ozpin put the bag back into his pocket. "I believe I've kept you waiting long enough, Ruby. No doubt you wish to get out this dull place."

The hooded girl giggled at the headmaster's statement, as she jumped down from her former hospital bed, causing her to wince from the sudden movement. As Ozpin headed for the door a thought crossed Ruby's mind. She didn't know why, maybe she just wanted to see in order to reassure herself.

"Um, professor." He turned to look at her. "I was… um… if I could… uh?"

Ozpin smiled at her and waved his hand singling her to follow. They walked a short way down the hallway until they reached another room's door. The headmaster opened to door but Ruby hesitated. She didn't know if she should really just walk into another patient's room.

"It's alright, Ruby." Ozpin said. "I doubt he'll bite."

The young girl slowly walked into the room to find the blonde haired boy resting comfortably. She approached his bed and stood at his side. Ozpin came and stood next to her.

"Do you know who he is?"

"Unfortunately no." He pulled out his scroll and she watched him run through information. "We've tried to match facial and dental records from all the kingdoms but there is nothing on our new friend here. He could be from a distant village but he would have to gone through customs before entering Vale."

"Hopefully he wakes up soon." Ruby said, a little worried about the boy's state. "Maybe then he can get some answers."

"Professor Ozpin?" A new voice entered the room. The hooded girl turned to see the doctor at the room's entrance. He eyed her for a moment and she thought he was going to kick her out but then he turned the headmaster. "May I speak to you for a moment."

"Certainly." He walked out of the room with the doctor. Leaving Ruby alone with the young boy.

She turned back to the blonde wondering if she should leave but they young girl felt compelled to stay. So she pulled up a chair and sat down. For a brief moment she thought she saw his eyelids flutter. Ruby looked up at the device monitoring his heart rate and breathing and it looked like there had been a slight increase to both. Maybe he would wake up soon.

* * *

"Get back here you little brat!" A man yelled. But the little boy paid him no heed as he continued to run with several loafs of bread in his arms. He jumped over any obstacle that was in his path. Wrapped around anyone that was in his way. And turned as many corners as he could to lose his pursues. But they were determined to get him

They had very good reason to be angry with him. He had been so hungry. They had been no nice people passing through to give him food or maybe a little money. So he did what he had come to do best. Walked up to a stand and grab as much as he could and run. Of course the stand owners didn't take kindly to that. And it seemed two of them were fed up with him.

As the kid continued to run he looked behind himself to see a large older man and a younger slimmer one chasing him down. He quickly turned into an alleyway and saw it blocked off be a fence half way down. Perfect for him, he could climb that and lose his pursuers. But fate seemed to have other plans for him. His foot tripped got caught and he fell losing the grip on his goods as they fell across the ground. He winced a bit as his knees scraped across the surface. The boy heard the two men approach him.

"Got you now you little street rat," the older man said while breathing heavily.

The little boy tried to get up and run but was caught by the back of his shirt and pulled roughly back down to the ground. The younger stood over him with a glare etched into his face.

"Where do you think you're going you little brat." The young man said. He kicked the little boy in the shoulder causing the kid to yelp in pain. "We've had it with you stealing from us. And now we're going to teach you a lesson."

The boy tried to crawl away from the two men but the older stepped on his leg pinning him to the ground. Then his little body was picked up and held up in the air by the large man. And spat in the young boy's face. The kid closed his eyes waiting for the inevitable punch.

"What do we have here." A young famine voice broke through the tension. The kid opened his eyes and saw a young black haired women standing at the end of the alleyway.

"Keep walking lady." The younger man said sternly. "This is a private matter."

"Two grown men beating up a child." She said with a glare. "How brave."

"Get her out of here." The older man said. The younger one walked up to her cracked his knuckles.

"Come on lady." He said with a little mirth. "Why don't you and I go back to my place and have some fu…" Whatever he was about to suggest was cut off when the woman kicked him between the legs. He dropped to his knees crying in pain. The young lady then bashed her knee into the man's face causing fall completely on the ground holding his face. She then walked over the young man and started to approach the older one.

The large man dropped the kid and ran at her fist raised. The young boy was unsure how it happened but one moment the man was in front of the woman. The next he was flying over her back and landing on top of the younger man who grunted from the sudden weight on top of him. The two eventually got up and ran out of the alleyway.

"Are you alright, little one." She said softly as she turned the boy. The young lady had a kind smile on her face but the kid didn't know how to respond. It had been so long since someone nice had ever talked to him since he ran from the cruel orphanage. Most of the polite people just smiled at him. "Don't you know how to speak?"

Still he said nothing. She walked up to him and offered her hand to him. The boy hesitantly took the hand and she gently pulled him up. The young woman brushed off some of the new layer of dirt on his clothes.

"Do you have a family to go to?" She asked, to which he tensed. The woman gave a concerned look. "Do you have any home at all."

The young boy could only shake his head in response.

"Come with me then." She said as she pulled him along. He was to stunned by the sudden offer to resist as they walked out of the alley. The child didn't know where the woman was taking him but along the way people shooting them curious glances. He could only wonder if it was because he looked so filthy compared the clean lady.

Eventually they reached a large apartment building and when they walked in the woman led him to a pair of metal sliding doors. They opened up and she walked them into a small room with buttons next to the door. The black haired woman pushed on of them and the doors slid closed. The young boy could of sworn his stomach was trying to push its way down. When the doors opened up he could only stare in wonder as they walked into a hallway. Hadn't just been in a bigger room before hand?

The lady continued to lead him down the hallway until they reached a door. She pulled out a white device and swept it over the handle. There was a click and she opened the door. The boy could only stare in wonder at the room he was now in. It was so clean. There were devices and shiny objects all over.

"Come along." She said and pulled him over to a couch. "Have a seat and I'll be right back."

He watched as the woman walked over to another adjacent room. The boy hesitantly sat down on the couch and was surprised by how soft it was. The lady walked back in carrying a bowl with a rag in hand. She knelt down and dipped the rag in the water filled bowl and began wiping his knees. The boy winced from the sudden stinging sensation.

"Sorry," she said softly, "but we have to get these clean."

"Th… th… thank you," he said quietly.

"Huh," she said looking up at him, "so you can talk."

After finishing his knees, she moved to wiping his face.

"What's you name, little one?"

"Tr… Tr… Tristan." He stuttered to answer, or at least that was what they called him at the orphanage.

"That's a nice name. How old are you, Tristan?"

"Se.. Sev.. Seven."

"You're so young." The lady said softly. "Are you really all by yourself?"

The blonde quietly nodded his head.

"Would you like to stay here?" The woman's offer caused him to perk up. "A nice home, warm bed, and food every day. Would you like that?"

"Ye… Yes." He said after thinking about it for a second. "Wh.. Who ar… are you?"

"My name is Isolde." She smiled kindly.

* * *

"Doctor! Professor!" Ruby yelled down the hallway. She had been growing concerned when the blonde haired boy began to scrunch his eyes and the monitor began to show an increase in his heart rate but she had been hoping that meant he was going to wake up. But now she was in full blown panic mode. She looked back at the boy who was convulsing violently in his bed and the monitor was now screaming.

Nurses came rushing towards the room and the young girl was quick to get out of their way. The doctor and headmaster were close behind. The doctor started to shout orders and the assistance were quickly to reply to each demand. He stuck a syringe needle into the boys IV but nothing seemed to be help as the young boy continue to shake violently.

"Doctor." Ozpin said as he held out the same metallic syringe he had shown Ruby early.

"Sir, we don't know what that will do!"

"He may be acting like this because he hasn't taken it!" The professor pointed out. The doctor seemed to concede to the headmaster's reasoning and quickly took the device and stuck it into the right side of the boy's neck. A few moments passed and the monitors seemed to calm down as the boy began to relax. Suddenly the boy's eyes snapped open showing clear blue orbs. Those orbs quickly began scanning everything and everyone around him.

"Hello, can you understand-" The doctor began to say but was aggressively pushed back by the boy and he fell back into Ozpin causing both to fall to the ground. Ruby was to stunned by the action that she could only watched as the nurses tried to restrain the blonde only to get punched or kicked back. The boy jumped out of the bed and began to run for the door. But he stopped when his blue eyes met her silver ones. The blonde seemed surprise to see her.

At some point the doctor had gotten back up and snuck up to the boy and stuck a needle into him. Before he could react the boy collapsed onto the ground. Leaving Ruby wondering what had just happened.

* * *

 **A/N:** Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Any questions. As always feedback is appreciated.


	5. The Mysterious Boy

**A/N:** Here you go everyone, the next chapter. I hope you enjoy.

* * *

 **The Mysterious Boy**

The multiple tapping sounds were starting to annoy her, albeit she was the one making them but that didn't make them any less of a nuisance. One finger was tapping the table. Her pencil was poking at her notebook. And her foot wouldn't stop beating the floor. Yang tried to stop herself but she was just to anxious for her last class to be over with.

The blonde usually wouldn't have trouble paying attention to _Doctor_ Oobleck as he zipped around the room but the thought of her little sister lying in in the infirmary bothered her to no ended. Yang saw at the corner of her eye Blake and Weiss' concerned looks but she ignored them. She knew they meant well but she was starting to get irritated with them consistently telling her not to worry.

Finally, the bell rang and the professor dismissed the class but before she could get up she felt two pairs of hands hold her down. Yang looked at her friends wounding why they were keeping her in place. Both however seemed to be keeping their eyes on their classmates as the left. Once the last student left Blake and Weiss turned their attention onto her.

"Yang…" Blake said softly.

"Don't say it." Yang gritted through her teeth.

"You need to calm down," Weiss stated.

"Would you guys stop telling me to calm down!" The bawler yelled, beyond irritated now by her friends' concern. "My sister is in the infirmary. I have every right to be concern."

"We were with her this morning," the white haired girl said firmly, "you saw how well she was doing. They've probably let her go already."

"That's not the point!" Yang yelled, her frustration growing.

"Then what is!" Weiss yelled back.

"She almost died!" Her statement caused both of her friends to flinch. "She almost died. And I wasn't there for her."

"Yang, I know what that means to you." Blake said softly while resting her hand on the blonde's shoulder. Weiss had a confused look on her face, Yang quickly remember that her white haired friend was unware of what had nearly happened to Ruby and her years ago. "But this anxiety isn't helping you. It's only making things worse and causing you to lash out at everyone. Ruby is fine and safe. You should be grateful about that."

A small part of Yang wanted to keep fighting them on the matter but the rational part of her mind won out. Blake was right. She was getting so worked over what had happened that she had overlooked that her sister was still alive and well. She allowed herself to relax which caused her Faunus friend to smile. They left the classroom and decided to head to head for the infirmary to see if Ruby was still there. Along the way they came across some gossiping students.

"Did you hear what happened at the infirmary?" One said to another, catching Yang's attention.

"What happened?"

"A boy who was brought in yesterday woke up and freaked out."

"Why would he do that?"

"I don't know but apparently some nurses and the doctor got hurt. Even Professor Ozpin was there."

That last little bit of information was enough to cause Yang to pick up the pace. The only person they could be talking about was the kid that was brought in with Ruby. Knowing her sister she was probably close by. And the blonde had to make sure she was okay.

Once they made it Yang went to the first nurse she could find and asked if her sister was still there. The nurse directed her to a room that the blonde knew wasn't the one she left Ruby in. Which lead to her groaning her over sister's typical behavior. They headed to the room and found Professor Ozpin and Goodwitch discussing the now restrained patient. And Ruby was sitting in the corner of the room watching the boy.

"Ruby." Yang said sternly.

"Yang." Ruby said sweetly with a smile.

"What are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to see him."

"Well…" Yang said eyeing her sister suspiciously, "you've seen him. So why are you still here."

"Well- I- ah," Ruby stuttered over her words but a sound from the patient caught her attention. The older sister looked and saw the boy beginning to move.

* * *

Isolde couldn't help but admire her new product. After hours of her _persuasiveness,_ the official finally gave her the codes to the weapons crates. The arsenal inside them was quite impressive. From the latest guns to the highest grade explosives. The dark haired woman could see the profit that she could make form them. Her attention of the weapons was diverted when Delwyn walked in.

"Well?" She asked the brown haired man.

"It's done." He stated flatly. "Quick and painless as you requested."

"Good." Isolde stated as she took out her scroll and began making taking stock of her new weapons. Delwyn however remained in the room. "Is there something else?"

"The White Fang have made contact with us."

"Really?" She asked, a bit surprised by the information. "They've been quite since their failed little coup."

"Seems that they are trying to regain their footing."

"If they can pay give them what they want." Isolde ordered. Delwyn nodded and turned to leave but she stopped him. "One more thing, add them to the bidding list."

"Do you really think they'll even be able to outbid the others?" He questioned.

"No. But it extends an olive branch to them, as wells as increases the bidding."

"We'll have to get it back before we can sell it." Delwyn stated firmly.

"You worry too much." She said offhandedly. "We'll get it back, in time."

* * *

When he started to regain consciousness Tristan tried to remember what had happened last time he was awake but his head felt groggy. The blonde tried to reorganize his thoughts but they kept slipping from his grasp. Then he tried to move, that's when he felt them. The restraints around his wrists and ankles.

 _No! No! No!_ He thought as he went into panic mode. His eyes snapped open and were blinded by the light above him. Tristan heard people around him which prompted him to fight his restraints but they were on tight. The blonde continued to fight them until someone stood over him, a silver haired man with glasses.

"Young man, please calm down." The man said to him while placing his hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Who are you?" Tristan demanded. His thoughts quickly fell back to the last person he saw. "Where's the girl? What have you done with her."

The man looked to his side and Tristan followed his view. There she was the red hooded girl who had saved him. She and a look of worry on her face. There were others in the room. Three girls that looked slightly older then him and an older woman. All of whom had various looks on their faces, perhaps because of his outburst.

"Where am I?" The blonde boy asked as he started to calm down.

"You're in the infirmary of Beacon Academy." The older blonde woman answered sternly.

The answer surprised Tristan. Why would he be taken to Beacon Academy of all places? Then he looked back at the silver eyed girl. Was she a student here? How? She looked as young as him and he was only sixteen.

"Who are you?" He asked while keeping his eye on the dual colored haired girl.

"I am Professor Ozpin, headmaster of Beacon Academy," the man stated.

"Professor Goodwitch," the older blonde woman said.

"I'm Weiss Schnee." The girl in all white said. Tristan knew that name very well.

"Blake Belladonna." The amber eyed girl stated flatly.

"Yang Xiao Long." The young blonde girl said. For some reason she was eyeing suspiciously. Then Yang rested her hand on the hooded girl's should "And this is my sister, Ruby. From what I've heard you saved her. Is that true?"

"After she saved me." Tristan answered the fellow blonde.

"Thank you for that." She said gratefully.

"What happened?" Ruby finally spoke up. "Why did those men want to kill you?"

The blonde boy didn't know how to answer her question. There was the truth. But the truth was a very personal and delicate secrete of his. But could he trust these people that he didn't know anything about? Maybe Ruby, she did go out of way to save a complete stranger. But still. Tristan rarely trusted anyone these days.

"I… um… I guess you could say I was doing a little hero work." He lied. Ruby cocked her head, seemingly in interest at his statement. "I just happened to come across some people doing some questionable business practices."

"Vigilantism isn't exactly legal, young man." Goodwitch stated with a stern domineer.

"Well," Ruby spoke up, awkwardly rubbing the back of her head, "I ended up doing that a little bit myself when we first met."

"You happened to be in the wrong place at the right time, Ms. Rose." The older woman's firm voice seemed make the young girl shrink. "And you were lucky I arrived when I did."

"Glynda." Ozpin said softly but firmly. The older woman backed down. "Now, what is your name?"

"My name is Tristan." He figured he didn't have to lie about that, it wasn't like they could find anything on him.

"Tristan…" The man clearly wanted him to continue.

"Just Tristan." The boy said quietly. "I was orphaned at a young age. Tristan was the only name I ever knew."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Ozpin said solemnly, but then he bore a more serious expression. "Can you explain why you acted so rashly when you awoke before?"

"I…" Tristan stuttered to answer. Again he was stuck between telling the truth and his lack of trust. I decided on a semi-truth. "It would be the first time I work up somewhere I wasn't familiar with. Hasn't always been a good experience."

"I see." The older man said. Then he pulled out a bag with one of his syringes in it. "And what about this. From what we can tell this is quite potent. But we decided to administer it to you after you began to having violent convulsions. That was when you woke up the first time."

"I… I have a very rare heart condition." Tristan said. "I diagnosed at the orphanage and I can't remember what it is called. But it can cause me a great deal of pain. That medicine is special made for me."

"And the erratic behavior?" Goodwitch asked. "You hurt some of our medical staff."

"I am sorry about that. It can have that effect on me." He said meaningfully. "Look could I have these restraints removed, they're rather uncomfortable."

"Now that we have cleared everything up." The man moved to remove the restraints. Goodwitch looked like she wanted to protest but she stayed silent.

"Thank you." Tristan said as he rubbed his wrist. "Am I free to go."

"And where would you go?" Ozpin said with a small smile. To which the young boy couldn't answer. "Besides I believe the doctor would like you to stay and rest at least for one more day."

"Ladies, I believe that will be all for today." He said to the four young girls in the room. "Ms. Xiao Long, I would like to talk to you in my office. Alone."

"Um, Professor," Ruby said quietly. "Could I um… stay for a moment. I'd like to talk to Tristan."

"Ruby, why do you want-" Yang began to ask but was interrupted by Ozpin.

"Of course, Ruby." He said, however he motioned for everyone else to leave. After everyone else left the Tristan just stared at the girl and she stared back. Cause a moment of silence between them.

"Um… Hi." She was the first to break the silence.

"Ah… Hi." The blonde said awkwardly.

"Um, I'm Ruby Rose." The girl reintroduced herself.

"Ah, Tristan." He continued the awkwardness of the conversation. And again they just started at each other.

"Thank you." Ruby's said quietly throwing him off at the change in direction of the conversation.

"What?" He asked wondering what she could be thanking him for.

"Thank you for saving me." She said with smile.

"Well you saved me first." Tristan stated. "Why did you save me?"

"Why won't I?" Ruby asked looking confused.

"Well, I'm a complete stranger." He said. "You didn't know me. You didn't have a reason to come to my aid."

"I don't need a reason to do what is right." The hooded girl said with a smile. "Besides, I'm working to become a huntress. It's my duty protect others."

 _Is she for really?_ Tristan questioned, baffled by her chivalry. "Well, thank you Ruby."

"You're very welcome." She turned to leave. "I hope you get better. Oh and welcome to Beacon."

After Ruby left the blonde laid back down back down on his bed still a little stunned by her behavior. How could anyone be so selfless. It didn't make sense to him. Why would anyone be so selfless. Tristan could only ponder this as he lay in the room.


End file.
